Reflection for April 29, Monday: Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church; John 3:1-8

Gospel: John 3:1-8

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot re-enter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; o it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

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Reflection:

Are you already born again? Every catholic who is faithful to the faith is born again. Being born again means we practice the sacred teachings and rituals of our faith and we are faithful to our fidelity to Jesus. We have already been born again by virtue of our baptism this means that we are new individuals in Christ. As such we have to do good all the time and we have to follow the teachings of the church.

If we are a fair-weather catholic we have not yet been born again. Therefore, we need to be born again by having a personal relationship with our Lord, Master and Savior Jesus Christ. This personal relationship with Jesus will facilitate our being born again in our faith.

In our gospel, Nicodemus took literally the meaning of being born again. This is the reason why he told this to Jesus, Surely he cannot re-enter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he (John 3:4)?” Yet Jesus reminded Nicodemus that the essence of being born again is to be born of water and spirit which actually is our baptism.

By virtue of our baptism all of us had been born again already that was years and years ago. There’s no need for anyone of us to change our religion to be born again. What we need is to have a personal encounter with Jesus inside and within our Roman Catholic Church.

How would we do this? We go to Holy Mass faithfully and we humbly beg God the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. So that we would understand what goes on inside the celebration of the Holy Mass. We visit the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel as often as possible, we speak to Jesus there and we ask Him renew us according to His will. And we open and read our bible so that we will have a personal encounter with the very words and life of Jesus.

Are you already a born again catholic? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday April 28, Second Sunday of Easter/Devine Mercy Sunday: John 20:19-31

Gospel: John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

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Reflection:

Do you want to have a personal encounter with the risen Lord Jesus Christ?

Thomas in the gospel wanted very much to have an up close and personal encounter with his lord and master. He was yearning for it like a parched land longing for water. Therefore, when Thomas was told by his fellow disciples that the risen Jesus appeared to them. He pretended not to believe but perhaps deep inside his heart he already believed what his fellow disciples told him.

He believed already however he still yearned for physical evidence and encounter. He wants to see the Risen Christ in the flesh and he wants to touch the very wounds of Jesus.

Thomas desire to encounter Jesus came to fruition after a week when they were all in that upper room where Jesus first appeared. While all of them were inside the upper room, lo and behold Jesus suddenly appeared before them all!

Right after His appearance Jesus singled out Thomas. He inviting him to see the wounds on His hands and by touching the wound on the side of His body which was pierced by a lance by a roman soldier while He was dying on the cross.  

If you want to have a personal encounter with the risen Lord it’s ok to doubt first. Then after doubting feed the same doubt with curiosity by asking the Lord to let you discover more about Him. Feed it some more by talking and praying to Him.

Sooner you will discover and feel for yourself that Jesus is real. That Jesus is alive and that Jesus is just a prayer or even a whisper away from you. Why? Because Jesus has never failed anyone who yearned for a personal encounter with Him.

Do you want to have a personal encounter with the Risen Lord?  – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita at Repleksyon para sa Abril 28, Ikalawang Linggo ng Pasko ng Pagkabuhay at Linggo ng Banal na Awa ng Panginoon: Juan 20:19-31

Mabuting Balita: Juan 20:19-31

Agaw-dilim na noon sa unang araw na iyon ng sanlinggo at nakasara ang mga pinto sa kinaroroonan ng mga alagad dahil sa takot sa mga Judio, dumating si Jesus at pumagitna. At sinabi niya sa kanila: “Kapayapaan sa inyo!”

20 Pagkasabi nito, ipinakita niya sa kanila ang mga kamay at ang tagiliran. Kaya nagalak ang mga alagad pagka­kita nila sa Panginoon. 21 At muli niyang sinabi sa kanila: “Kapa­­yapaan sa inyo! Kung paanong isinugo ako ng Ama, ipinadadala ko rin kayo.” 22 At pagkasabi nito, hiningahan niya sila at sinabi: “Tanggapin ang Espi­ritu Santo! 23 Patatawarin ang mga kasa­lanan ninu­man na inyong patawarin; at pana­natiliin naman sa sinuman ang in­yong panatiliin.”

24 Hindi nila kasama si Tomas na tina­guriang Kambal, na isa sa Labin­dalawa, nang du­mating si Jesus. 25 Kaya sinabi sa kanya ng iba pang mga alagad: “Nakita namin ang Pangi­noon!” Sinabi naman niya: “Maliban lamang na ma­kita sa kanyang mga kamay ang tatak ng mga pako at maipasok ang aking daliri sa pinag­lagusan ng mga pako at maipasok ang aking kamay sa tagiliran niya, hinding-hindi ako mani­niwala!”

26 Makaraan ang walong araw, mu­ling nasa loob ang kanyang mga ala­gad at kasa­ma nila si Tomas. Dumating si Jesus ha­bang nakasara ang mga pinto at puma­gitna. At sinabi niya: “Kapa­yapaan sa inyo!” 27 At sinabi niya kay Tomas: “Ilapit mo rito ang daliri mo at tingnan ang aking mga kamay. At ilapit ang kamay mo at ipasok sa aking tagiliran at huwag tumangging maniwala kundi ma­niwala!”

28 Sumagot si Tomas sa kanya: “Pangi­noon ko at Diyos ko – ikaw!” 29 Sinabi sa kanya ni Jesus: “Dahil ba sa nakita mo ako kaya ka naniniwala? Mapapalad ang mga hindi nakakita at naniniwala.” Konklusyon 30 Ngayon, marami pang ibang tan­dang ginawa si Jesus sa harap ng kanyang mga alagad, na hindi naman nasusulat sa kasulatang ito. 31 Isinulat naman ang mga ito upang maniwala kayo na si Jesus ang Kristo, ang Anak ng Diyos. At sa pani­niwala ninyo’y magkaroon kayo ng buhay sa bisa ng kanyang Pangalan. 

Manalangin po tayo...

Reflection for April 27, Saturday: The Octave of Easter; Mark 16:9-15

Gospel: Mark 16:9-15

When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either. But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

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Reflection:

Do you believe that Jesus has risen? Well and good if you believe for He has indeed risen and appeared first to Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene believed this too for she saw Him personally and she conversed with the risen Lord.

But when she told the disciples that Jesus had risen they did not believe they instead continued to mourn the death of Jesus. The disciples finally believed only when Jesus personally appeared before them. And right there Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith in His resurrection.

Perhaps the guiding principle of the disciples who did not believe is to see is to believe. For they only believed in the resurrection when He personally appeared to them. Were they already lacking in faith when they did not believe what Mary Magdalene told them? Yes! Lack of faith was slowly but surely creeping into their system until they saw Jesus in the flesh!

The folly of not believing or lack of faith is we will not benefit from Jesus if we don’t have faith or we don’t believe. We will not be healed by Jesus if we lack faith or we don’t believe.

How strong is your faith in the Risen Lord? - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for April 26, Friday: The Octave of Easter; John 21:1-14

Gospel: John 21:1-14

Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

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Reflection:

What is the scenario when fishermen arrives home after long hours of fishing at sea? They naturally want to go home and rest their tired bodies.

This was the situation when the fishermen arrived from their long hours of fishing without any catch. They simply want to go home and rest their very tired bodies.  But as they approach the shore, they saw Jesus who told the fishermen to put their empty nets back onto the sea. 

They simply obeyed Jesus and presto they’ve caught the biggest number of fish. We see here in the gospel that Jesus rewards those who obey Him. We see also the love and care that Jesus gave to His disciples. Love and care that never ends and not constrained by time and space.

Why did Jesus appear to His disciples for the third time after His resurrection? Jesus wanted to reassure His disciples that He will never abandon them and that He is still with them in every step of the way. As if saying to His disciples, I am always with you wherever you go ever ready to guide and help you.

Humans as we are we also pass through episodes of weariness, tiredness and frustrations brought about by our many life challenges. We are never alone when we pass through these challenging episodes of life. The Risen Christ is also with us ever ready to guide and help us.

Let us always go to Him for the risen Christ is just a whisper away from us. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for April 25, Thursday: The Octave of Easter; Luke 24:35-48

Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.

While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.

He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

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Reflection:

How would you react if a dead friend suddenly appears before you? Of course you will be shocked and perhaps after a few seconds you will shout and run away. This reaction is human nature, a natural reaction because you are not used of seeing ghost.

This was also the reaction of the disciples when Jesus suddenly appeared before them and said to them: Peace be with you. They were startled and terrified; who would not be? Then, Jesus slowly opened Himself to His disciples by inviting them to look at His hands and feet. And touch it if they want too to prove to them that He has indeed risen and is with them.

Perhaps some of us are troubled and worried because of our present life circumstances. If we are, Jesus would tell us: "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Firmly believe in me and I will take care of you. Call on me anytime and I will be with you, follow me and I will not disappoint you! I will give you peace, peace that you can’t find anywhere in this world. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid!

The peace that Jesus will give us is beyond compare nothing in this world can approximate it. Some of us mistakenly look for peace and comfort in this world only to end up holding an empty bag. Why? Because it’s only through Jesus that we will find true peace.

Look for the peace that only Jesus will give you and humbly ask Him to give it to you. If you will be persistent He surely will give it to you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for April 24, Wednesday: The Octave of Easter; Luke 24:13-35

Gospel: Luke 24:13-35

That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?" And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see." And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!" Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

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Reflection:

How would you feel if somebody close to you dies?

We all feel very sad when somebody very important to us dies. The feeling is as if a big important part of us had been taken off from our lives. Cleopas and his companion had this feeling of sadness as they were walking towards Emmaus. They felt that a big part of their life had been taken from them with the death of Jesus.

However, as they were journeying going to Emmaus they did not recognize that the Risen Christ was already walking and conversing with them. So, while walking going to Emmaus Jesus asked them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk (Luke 24:17)?" They told Him their story and seemingly false expectations about Himself (Jesus).

Why false expectation? Because Cleopas and company were expecting Jesus to redeem Israel.  Jesus was already their hero, who would not consider Jesus as hero when He can make the lame walk, He can restore a blind man’s eyesight, He can bring back to life a dead man and so forth. They thought that it was now all bed of roses for them since they were now following Jesus. Therefore, they were terribly disappointed with the death of Jesus.

What is the lesson for us in this gospel episode? This tells us that we must not expect that everything now would be turning out right for us since we are now followers of Jesus. There would still be trials, persecutions and disappointments for these are part of the test of our faith in Jesus. 

When they arrived at Emmaus they asked Jesus to stay with them. While there at a table with them He took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them (Luke 24:30). After doing it in front of them they recognized that it was the Risen Christ who was with them, it was Jesus who was conversing with them while they were walking going to Emmaus.

Where is Emmaus now in this smart phones, smart gadgets and internet driven times? Emmaus is certainly not located within your high-tech gadgets. Emmaus is the church specifically located inside your church. When you go to your church to attend Holy Mass you go to Emmaus.

There you have to hold in highest regard the words of God as it is proclaimed to you. There you reverently accept Jesus' Body and Blood as it is given to you by the priest or the Extra-Ordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

Are you going to Emmaus this Sunday to be with Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for April 23, Tuesday: The Octave of Easter; John 20:11-18

Gospel: John 20:11-18

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he had told her.

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Reflection:

Are you always aware of the movement of the Lord Jesus Christ in your life? 

For example, you’re leaning towards jumping into an adulterous relationship. Then out of the blue you were suddenly reminded by your spouse about the evils and the punishment that could come after jumping into an adulterous relationship . 

You immediately had an awareness of this mistake as if you were doused with cold water. You became aware that the devil is leading you to destroy your marriage. Who gave you the enlightenment? Who stopped the devil from destroying your marriage? It’s none other than Jesus Himself!

Jesus is omnipresent He is always with us, He walks with us, He cries and commiserate with us. He comforts us, He gives us hope.  He is an ever-present shoulder to cry and lean on. But we are not always aware of this fact.

Mary Magdalene in our gospel was not aware that Jesus was already beside her, she thought He was the gardener. Until Jesus called her name and right there she had an awareness that He was already with Jesus (John 20:14-16).

How could we always discern the presence of Jesus in our life?  We must have our regular prayer time: Prayer time means time spent conversing and listening to Jesus. We must always attend Holy Mass and receive Him during Holy Communion. We must read about Him in the Bible and we must also lead a life worthy in the eyes of Jesus.

Do you have an awareness of Jesus presence in your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Monday April 22: The Octave of Easter; Matthew 28:8-15

Gospel: Matthew 28:8-15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

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Reflection:

Can we hide or suppress the truth?

We can never suppress the truth no matter what we do. We may be able to suppress or hide it for a period of time but eventually the truth will come out.

The chief priest and the elders tried very hard to hide the truth about the resurrection of Jesus. But except for their supporters who refused to believe. The followers of Jesus believed that He had risen from the bondage of human death.

Just like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, we also believe that Jesus has defeated the curse of death thru His resurrection. But our belief is not enough we must put into actual acts of faith our belief that Jesus has risen.

How are we going to do this? Let us do good all the time, let us help those who are in need, Let us be humble, let us be truthful, let us be, forgiving, kind-hearted, understanding and let us do all the good that we can do in this world. We need to do this so that the risen Jesus would become truly visible and risen in our lives.   

Otherwise if we would not do these worthy acts then our belief in our Lord is useless. And it would remain forever a figment of our imaginations. And in the process we become failed missioners for Jesus for the simple reason that we did not live our faith.

Are you doing something to live your faith in the risen Lord Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday April 21, Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection: John 20:1-9

Gospel: John 20:1-9

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

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Reflection:

There is a story about a very rich church going catholic who was very proud of his faith. Every Easter Sunday he would display on their porch a tarpaulin with the risen Jesus on it coming out of the tomb.  However, he is disliked by his neighbors because he treats them with disdain.

What does the empty tomb of Jesus signify to us? Does it signify a resurrection of life? We will answer yes of course for we know that Jesus has resurrected. But how did Mary of Magdala, the other women and the disciples of Jesus feel? Many thoughts were surely playing in their minds in fact Mary of Magdala cried for she was worried about the whereabouts of the body of Jesus.   

Unlike Mary Magdalene who does not know yet the whereabouts of the body of Jesus. We know that Jesus has resurrected, thus we now close the curtains of His resurrection? Does it end with the resurrection story?

We do not close the story of Jesus’ resurrection we continue to relive it whenever we do the acts of Jesus. Such as His acts of: kindness, humility, self-sacrifice, love, forgiveness and the like. Through these acts we continuously perpetuate the resurrection of Jesus.

Surely many are still not aware of the resurrection of Jesus or even the name of Jesus. But whenever we do good, we impart Jesus and we tell them that Jesus is alive. That Jesus is ready to help them and lift them from their sickness, lowliness and weariness. 

       

What have we done so far to tell others that Jesus has risen? Have we given food to the poor?  Have we given hope to the hopeless? Have we done something for the sick? Have we brought others closer to Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday April 20: The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter; Luke 24:1-12

Gospel: Luke 24:1-12

At daybreak on the first day of the week the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.” And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others. The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles, but their story seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home amazed at what had happened.

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Reflection:

How would you react if you were with the women who went to the burial site of Jesus? You surely would also be amazed and perhaps you would also ask where is the body of my Lord?

There was no physical manifestation of Jesus’ resurrection except for the stone rolled away from the tomb and Jesus’ burial cloths. Where was Jesus then? Where can we find the Lord? We should not look far for the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ is not far from us.

Many of us look for Jesus most especially when we are being buffeted by problems. Some of us may even ask, where are you Lord while I was going through the storms of my life? Since our baptism the Lord Jesus Christ has always been with us and He is an ever-present component in our lives. Yet we have no awareness of it.

Many of us have no awareness of His presence in our lives for the reason that we don’t call upon Him as often as we can. Yet, Jesus is always there for us.  If we would only try to call on Jesus we surely would find Him. We surely would be enlightened about His ever present presence in our lives.

Let us try to always be connected to our Lord instead of always being connected to our gadgets and smart phones. And we would find that our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ is always there for us.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Seven Last words of Jesus with Reflection

1. “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Are we forgiving? 

Mahatma Gandhi once said: “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Forgiveness simply means that we choose to move on and not allow hatred to destroy us.

Hanging on the cross and near-death Jesus spoke these profound words. Who was Jesus alluding  to when He spoke these words? Jesus was alluding to those who persecuted Him which led Him on the cross. They were His critics like the Pharisees, Scribes, High priest and so forth. Included also were the Soldiers who brought Him to the mountain of Calvary to nail Him on the cross.

Here we see that Jesus is full of mercy, love and forgiveness towards those who made life very difficult for Him. Jesus did not bear any hatred towards those who hated and killed Him.

We have to reflect here on how we forgive those who sinned against us. For example, if a person betrayed our trust or a person hurt us. Have we forgiven them already? We have to forgive no matter how deep the hurt the they’ve inflicted upon us. Why? Because if Jesus can forgive who are we not to forgive? 

Forgiveness is a gift that we give not to those who’ve hurt us or betrayed us. Forgiveness is a gift that we give to ourselves for the simple reason that we are only hurting our very selves when we don’t forgive. We have to free ourselves from being imprisoned by hatred caused by our unforgiveness. Therefore, we have to forgive. 

Are we forgiving?

2.   “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Where is the paradise that Jesus is referring here?

The paradise is with Him, in Him and in His kingdom in heaven. Jesus addressed this statement to one of the criminals hanging on the cross by His side. The criminal said to Jesus: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:42).” And right there Jesus said to the criminal: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

The criminal was enlightened while he was hanging on the cross side by side with Jesus.  This is the reason why he asked the Lord to remember him when He is already in His kingdom. Don’t we all want to have the same enlightenment that he had? Of course, we do want it as well. So, we have to humbly ask the Lord for the same enlightenment coursed through our prayers to the Lord.

Many of us are so fixated in this fleeting word that we think and feel that this is our paradise. But as we go through the covid-19 pandemic experience we already have that this world is not at all paradise. We seek worldly pleasures (many of these worldly pleasures influence us to sin). We seek temporal wealth and worldly power and influence only to find out that this is not where paradise is located. Why?  For the simple reason that we humans have no satisfaction we will seek these earthly things which we think would satisfy us. Only to realize in the end that it cannot and will not satisfy us.

So, where is the real paradise that the Lord is talking? This paradise we can only find, feel and experience with Him, in Him and through Him. The true and real paradise that Jesus mentions is already here and now when we make Him part and parcel of our daily living.  When we make Jesus our Lord and Savoir.   

Where is your paradise?  

3.  “Woman, behold thy son. After that, he said to the disciple: Behold thy mother.” (John 19: 26-27)

Do you respect and love the Blessed Mother and your own mother?  

When Jesus was on the cross dying, He saw His mother Mary still looking after Him. His mother who cared, nurtured and watched over Him from the beginning until the end of His life. Dying and all, Jesus saw that nobody would take care of His mother so He asked John, His beloved disciple to take care of her.

Do we also take care of the Blessed Mother by respecting her as Jesus respected her? Mary is the mother of Jesus therefore it is incumbent for us to give her the respect and love which she richly deserves.  We show our love and respect for the Blessed Mother when we pray the Holy Rosary. When we politely teach others to respect her because she is the mother of Jesus and our mother as well. Mary our mother who will always be there to listen to us when no one would dare listen to us.  Mary our mother who will always be there to pray for us.

This is also to remind us that we have to respect and love at all times our own respective mothers. We would never exist in this world without our mothers. We would never become who we are today without their guidance and nurturing. Jesus would not have existed in this world without the consent of his mother Mary. As a debt of gratitude to his mother Jesus saw it fit to entrust his mother to his beloved disciple John.

Do you respect and love the Blessed Mother and your own mother?  What are you doing right now to show your respect and love for the Blessed Mother? Do you invoke her intersession when you pray? Do you defend her when someone is demeaning her role in the life of Jesus?

4.“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)

Do we sometimes feel forsaken by the Lord?

On the cross and dying Jesus uttered these words. These are words of surrender, frustration and giving up. After going through all of the persecutions, torture and abandonment Jesus felt forsaken. Who among us would not feel the same way when we’ve been through what Jesus had been through? We would also understandably feel forsaken and abandoned by the Lord.    

But did God abandon Jesus when He was gasping and dying on the cross? Does God abandon and forsake us when we are at the lowest point in our lives? Is God absent as we navigate through the dangerous waters of  this covid-19 pandemic experience? God did not abandon Jesus, God was with Jesus all the way! God was strengthening Jesus when Jesus was at the lowest and weakest point in His life. And certainly God is also walking with us as we try to survive this covid-19 pandemic experience. 

We are humans subject to our own human frailties. It is understandable to feel forsaken by the Lord once in a while. But truth be told, God presence in our lives is strongest when we feel forsaken by this world and the people of this world.

God will never forsake us, God will never abandon us and God will always be there to strengthen us. Therefore, we always have to cling to Him in good times and most especially in the turbulent episodes of our lives.

Do we sometimes feel being abandoned and forsaken by the Lord?

5.“I thirst.” (John 19:28)

What do we thirst for?

Was it physical thirst that Jesus was feeling when He said: “I thirst.” In His humanity, yes physical thirst but more than that it was the thirst for those people who were formerly with Him. These are the people who were with Jesus during His healing and speaking ministry.

Dying on the cross perhaps, Jesus was whimpering while saying, “I thirst.” Why? For the reason that He was also thirsting for His followers and apostles who were with Him during His miraculous healing and powerful speaking ministry. 

It is in the lowest episodes of our life that we would know who is really for us and not for us. Those who are for us would choose to remain no matter the odds against us. Those who are not for us would immediately evaporate from our sights to save themselves.

When we encounter these words: “I thirst.”  Let us imagine that Jesus is addressing these words to us. I thirst for you to be faithful in your marriage covenant. I thirst for you to be honest where you are presently working right now. I Thirst for you to value the sacredness of life over the evil of abortion. I thirst for you to always be humble.

 I thirst for your presence at Holy Mass everyday or even every Sunday if you cannot make it every day.  I thirst for you to become a good father/mother. I thirst for you to become a good and God loving son/daughter. I thirst for you to be faithful to your priesthood. I thirst for you to be faithful to your religious life.

Would we respond to Jesus thirst?

 6.“It is finished.” (John 19:30)

How do you feel after finishing a worthy undertaking?

You feel good and triumphant. This second to the last word of Jesus is a word of triumph, at last its over at last its mission accomplished!

Jesus finally defeated the voice of Satan who was whispering to Him not to finish His salvific mission. Jesus overcame the many hurdles and temptation for Him not to pursue to the end His mission of salvation. Finally, Jesus redeemed the sinful humanity from the enslavement of sin.

However, it’s not finished for us yet, we are still in this journey called life. We are still battling the many demons that constantly whispers to our ears to commit sin. So, what are we going to do to be able to say that, “It's finally finished!”

We have to be faithful to our Lord until our end in this temporal world overtakes us. Then, when it comes, we can finally say, it is finished because we have been faithful to the Lord. We did not give an iota of space to the devil to distract us in our disciples with the Lord.

Would we be able to successfully say, “It is finished ” when the sun sets upon us someday? It is finished because we have defeated the many demons that were constantly tempting you to give up in our disciples for Jesus.

7. “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)    

Are you afraid to die?

After all has been said and done it’s now the end, it’s the victorious death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus conquered our sinfulness by dying on the cross. By giving His very life on the cross Jesus showed us the true meaning of sacrifice and love.

Death is something that many of us fear but why fear death if we live our life with Jesus in this world? Why fear death when this is the final hurdle for us to be with the Lord in heaven? Why fear death when it ends all our sufferings in this world? If we have not done wrong in this world we would not fear death. When we love the Lord over this fleeting and temporal world we would not fear death.

Many of us fear death for the simple reason that we are so attached to this world. But if we are detached from this world and attached to our Lord, we will not fear death. What are the attachments that we have that makes us fear death?  Are we so attached to our worldly possession that’s why we fear death?

When we make this world our God we would fear death, when we make our worldly possession our master instead of servant we would fear death. Jesus conquered His fear of death because He has no worldly attachments. From the beginning Jesus detached Himself from this world because it would encumber Him from devoting His life to His mission of salvation.  

Let us slowly but surely detach ourselves from this world. So that when we are at the doorway going to the everlasting life we can say to our Lord: "I'm finally coming home my Lord, into your hands I commend my spirit." -  Marino J. Dasmarinas    

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